


Of Flowers and Words

by astrangebird



Series: Growing and Changing [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, caduceus has a crush, caduceus level perception, pining?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 07:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18545440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangebird/pseuds/astrangebird
Summary: Caduceus spends a lot of time looking at Mister Caleb.





	Of Flowers and Words

**Author's Note:**

> It's set very nebulously after ep 58 or 59 because I have no idea how to address the absolute madness that went down in ep 59.

There’s a quiet buzzing of something fluttering around in Caduceus stomach. It’s not an unpleasant feeling, unfamiliar but not unwelcome. While he hasn’t ever personally felt this swarm of bugs bump around his ribs before he’s fairly certain that this is what people have called “having a crush”. That’s quite a strange phrase for such a bubbly feeling, if anything he feels a bit lighter on his feet than before, at least when the buzzing picks up. He isn’t quite sure when this feeling started to happen but it certainly felt as if the swarm of bugs was about to burst right through his chest plate when he sees Mister Caleb waltz out of the washroom looking more put together than he’s ever seen. 

Sure Caleb could disguise himself to look like a fancy nobleman in a pinch and the fluttering was certainly present then as well, but there was something about it being real, that set him buzzing. Maybe it was because Caleb had finally let the mask go, the one that was present even in his illusions.

Caduceus allows the bumbling bees in his chest to drag him forward to examine this lovely development, the loosening of the mask, the blooming of a rose. 

Mister Caleb didn’t seem to mind his inspection, allowing Caduceus to touch the smooth snow white skin of his jaw. He was so small under his large hands, looked so young staring at Caduceus so sheepishly. He feels he may have picked the wrong word to describe to Mister Caleb they way he had looked, but the right one evaded him. He’d figure it out eventually. He’ll just have to pay attention to him more closely until he finds the word he was looking for. And that doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, Caduceus doesn’t mind looking at Caleb, he’s a good looking man after all.

—

One evening on the road the group was taking time to rest by the warmth of the campfire as the sun made its final descent below the horizon, the sky coloring in brilliant pinks and oranges and casting long shadows across the land as Caduceus brewed a pot of tea to help relax everyone after a long day of traveling. The tea is almost ready when he takes a moment to look over the group. Yasha is at his side quietly flipping through her book of pressed flowers, picking one up to examine it closer. Fjord and Beau are making plans for what they need to do first thing in the morning, who’s going to take first watch, and whether Fjord can take it with Jester who is sitting cross legged on the ground doodling in her sketchbook and occasionally holding it over her shoulder to show Caleb. Mister Caleb is actually sitting on a downed log behind Jester very carefully braiding a wildflower into her hair as Nott stands behind him doing the same. Nott is far more skilled at braiding than Caleb who has only managed to braid two small sections of Jester’s dark hair and only added a single flower to each strand while Nott has divided Caleb’s hair into three french braids full of flowers and leaves that thankfully aren’t poisonous. 

Caduceus feels that comfortable buzzing start up in his stomach as he takes a longer look at Caleb. He’s a man of singular focus, only briefly acknowledging the drawings being shown to him until he’s satisfied with the braid he was working on and switches his attention entirely to peering over Jester’s shoulder and watching her draw. He can’t hear what Jester has said but it makes Caleb’s face crinkle in that way that only Jester has managed to do. And while Caleb isn’t one to laugh openly Nott surely makes up the difference, cackling loudly before finishing the final braid in Caleb’s auburn hair. In a flurry of motion Jester shoes Caleb off the log so Nott can take her turn having her hair braided. Before settling in to the task at hand Jester digs shoulder deep into the haversack and pulls out a rather ornate looking hand mirror to inspect her new braids. She seems delighted to see the two flowers dangling just behind her pointed ear and hands the mirror over to Caleb before kneeling on the ground behind Nott. 

Mister Caleb takes a far longer inspection of himself, with good cause as Nott has basically turned him into a walking flower arrangement. There’s a brief moment where he seems to blanch at seeing himself, a thousand yard stare in his eyes for a single second before blinking a few times and tilting his head this way and that to examine the intricate braiding and blooms. Nott has managed to give him a pseudo mohawk, the hair at his temples braided tight following the curve of his skull, while the center is a bit looser resembling a style that Caduceus on occasion has used on his own hair. Each section seems to have a deliberate pattern to the flowers in color and in placement that eludes Caduceus but is no less beautiful in its complexity. Nott has truly out done herself this time and it seems that Mister Caleb agrees and places a hand on her shoulder and gives her the closest thing he has to a genuine smile, causing Nott to preen under the praise baring her pointy teeth in a somewhat unsettling smile. Caleb resumes looking at the mirror, though this time he seems to be inspecting his face, rubbing a hand over the stubble that’s accumulating on his jaw. He seems to take note of it for later and places the mirror down before turning away from the ladies to look out at the rest of the group.

Caduceus quickly refocuses his attention on the tea in front of him, tipping the lid back to inspect the color instead of Mister Caleb’s face. Thankfully he didn’t zone out long enough to over brew the tea but boy those bugs sure are stirring up such a ruckus in his stomach that he feels that Yasha should be able to hear them bumping into his bones. He gently stirs the tea before removing it from the fire and allowing the buzzing to settle just a bit. Maybe just one more look.

Caduceus tries to be more subtle and peers up under his lashes. Unfortunately there isn’t a way to look subtle when you look up and make direct eye contact with the person you’re trying to peak at. Caleb has his chin resting on his hand and apparently was watching him make the final preparations for the tea. He has that look about him that says he’s doing some kind of math in his mind but there is also something more gentle about the crinkle of his eyes. His features are sharp in the high shadows of the setting sun, long nose casting a shadow off the side of his face, copper hair glinting nearly iridescent in the orange glow of sunset and accented by the bright colors of the flowers. Caduceus is sure he’s seen pictures in books about beautiful nymphs that didn’t look as pretty. 

Mister Caleb isn’t known for his love of eye contact but today he doesn’t look away and instead gives Caduceus a shy and faltering smile that actually meets his eyes and Caduceus can’t help but smile back at him, a pleasant heat rolling up his spine and warming him from the inside out. Caleb seems to crumple a bit, overwhelmed by what Caduceus imagines was a rather difficult task for the wizard, and he rubs his hand over his mouth adverting his gaze in a series of quick darting looks between him and ground before finally looking off towards Nott. Mister Caleb still has his hand covering a large section of his face but Caduceus watches as the apples of his cheeks press into his eyes and the corner of his lips tugs up past his palm. To his surprise Caleb takes one more glance at Caduceus, flicking his eyes over him before he rubs that secret little smile off his face and turns to face away fully.

Cute. Ah that was the word he was looking for.


End file.
